How trendy jeweler Kendra Scott is courting Gen Z and Gen Alpha

Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, check us out on Spotify and hear us on Stitcher. This is our RSS feed. Tell a friend! The 22-year-old company has gained a following with Gen Z, and now the younger Gen Alpha group born beginning in 2010, by offering both in-person and digital experiences. “We always see retail as a place where you could come and celebrate and connect and have events,” said Michelle Peterson, chief marketing officer, speaking on the latest episode of the Marketer’s Brief podcast, noting that the 130-plus Kendra Scott stores regularly host a variety of events for their customers. “This is something our retail team has always focused on—they see the store as an event center, whether it’s your birthday or you want to raise money for a charity that’s important to you.” She said the brand, which Scott has grown into a half-billion-dollar business, hosts roughly 20,000 events a year. Jewelry, in particular, resonates with younger generations, Peterson said, because it offers individuality. Read more: How marketers can reach brand-obsessed Gen Alpha “This is a group who’s trying to determine and define who they are,” she said. “And jewelry is so often something that people use to do that—they use it to drive their own confidence, they use it to show who they are and who they stand for.” Kendra Scott taps into that through marketing such as its college-focused Gem program, which includes over 100 brand ambassadors who apply to join. Those in the group share content about product and store experiences with their respective networks and they can also host their own events. On the podcast, Peterson also discusses Kendra Scott’s recent Hey Elisa multi-college tour campaign, named for the brand’s signature Elisa necklace design. The push included a selfie booth, personality tests and customized coffee drinks. “Our goal is to connect with that consumer where she is, obviously we get a ton of content from that, that we share in our social channels and then our customer shares a ton of content as well because she loves to talk about how she has the Elisa that she created for herself,” she said. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs In addition, she talks about the prevalence of dupes, or cheaper lookalike products, for popular brands such as Kendra Scott and how her brand deals with such items. “Typically, we find that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are pretty discerning,” Peterson said. “They can evaluate a dupe pretty closely and know what is the real thing.”

How trendy jeweler Kendra Scott is courting Gen Z and Gen Alpha

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